12.12.12: 12 Safety Tips for REALTORS^®

1. Provide family, friends and colleagues with a detailed schedule when leaving for a showing. Ex: Property addresses, expected time of return, etc.
2. Always carry a mobile phone and ensure that you can get to it easily if in an emergency. Use mobile applications such as Guardly or program emergency contacts on speed dial.
3. Always have prospects meet at your office the first time and introduce them to colleagues. Notify your colleagues when you will be taking clients out of the office and the address of where you're going.
4. Arrive early at open-houses and do not post yard signs until you have previewed the property and planned an escape route. Unlock all entry/exit doors and check yards and fences for a quick escape.
5. Take a colleague along with you when hosting an open house and when doing an evening showing. Do not advertise a home as being vacant.
6. Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable or in a dangerous situation, it is better to walk away by having pre-planned ways of ending a showing.
7. Get information about the prospect by asking them questions and if possible, ask to see identification because of company policy for safety reasons.
8. Be attentive when showing a home. Always be aware and watch what the prospect is doing.
9. Try to take separate cars to a showing. If the option is not possible, take your car as you will have slightly more control.
10. During a showing, keep all viewers together and let them take the lead by directing them around the house verbally and with hand gestures. When you reach a room, position yourself as near the door as possible. Avoid basements or confined areas.
11. Have a distress code/statement so that when you contact a friend, family member or colleague, they can alert authorities. Ex: when in distress, contact a colleague and ask, "I may have left my wallet on my desk, can you go and check the e-code for me right away?"
12. Be alert to clients arriving and leaving, especially near the end of the day. This is when predators may assume you are more vulnerable due to fatigue.

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